Qatadah and al-Suddi said: When His saying was revealed, “For the male is a share equal to that of two females,” the men said, “We hope that, through our good deeds in the Hereafter, we will be given preference over women, so that our reward will be twice that of women, just as we have been given preference over them in inheritance.” (1) Then Allah, exalted is He, said: “For men is a share of what they have earned,” meaning, of reward, “and for women is a share of what they have earned.”

Its meaning is that men and women are equal with respect to reward in the Hereafter, for a good deed is multiplied tenfold, and men and women are alike in this, even though men have been given preference over women in this worldly life.

It was also said that its meaning is: Men have a share of what they earn through jihad, and women have a share of what they earn through obeying their husbands and safeguarding their chastity. That is, if men possess the merit of jihad, then women possess the merit of obeying their husbands and safeguarding their chastity.

His saying, exalted is He: “And ask Allah of His bounty.” Ibn Kathir and al-Kisa'i recited it as “wa-salu,” “sal,” and “fa-sal,” when preceded by a waw or fa, without the glottal stop, transferring its vowel to the preceding s. The remaining reciters read it with the s vowelless and the glottal stop retained. Thus, Allah, exalted is He, forbade wishing for what others possess because it leads to envy. Envy is to wish that a blessing be removed from its possessor and to wish it for oneself, and it is forbidden. Benign emulation is to wish for oneself [84/a] the like of what another possesses, and it is permissible.

Al-Kalbi said: A man should not wish for his brother’s wealth, wife, or servant; rather, he should say, “O Allah, grant me the like of it.” This is likewise stated in the Torah, as it is in the Quran.

His saying: “And ask Allah of His bounty.” Ibn Abbas said: “Ask Allah of His bounty,” meaning, of His provision. Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: of His worship; that is, one asks for success in worshipping Him. Sufyan ibn Uyaynah said: He commanded asking only in order to give. “Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing of all things.”

“And for each We have appointed heirs to what parents and close relatives leave behind. As for those bound to you by your oaths, give them their due share. Indeed, Allah is Witness over all things.” (33)

His saying, exalted is He: “And for each We have appointed heirs,” meaning: For every man and woman, We have appointed heirs—that is, agnatic heirs—who receive from what parents and close relatives leave behind. The parents and close relatives are those from whom inheritance is received.

It was also said that it means: For every person We have appointed heirs, that is, heirs from among those whom he leaves behind; here, “what” carries the sense of “those.” He then explained the heirs, saying: “the parents and close relatives”—they are the heirs. (2)

“As for those bound to you by your oaths”: the Kufans recited it as “aqadat,” without the long a, meaning that your oaths have made a covenant for them, whereas another recitation reads